The Ideal Law School Laptop Forum

[tome]

I like how light the netbooks are, but not how small they are--both in terms of screen size and in terms of keyboard size. I don't think I need a lot of power, as I have a computer at home.

Does anyone know if there are any computers that are essentially really thin netbooks (in terms of weight and power), but are laptop "sized" (in terms of screen and keyboard).

I get the impression that this is what an Air is, but they are really expensive, so I guess not.

[ssw1120]

The Dell Inspiron 12 inch is under 3 lbs, thin like the Air but only around 500 depending on how you configure it. I have an Air, which I love, but I have ordered the Dell because I need a PC for the exam software. Also, Lenovo has ultra thin notebooks...but they start around 1000.

[UNC2009]

After extensive research and reading reviews on Netbooks, I narrowed it down to the HP Mini 2140, the Dell Mini 10, and the Samsung NC10. I ruled out anything by Asus because the keyboard is significantly smaller than I needed. They are all pretty much the same, but I'm going with the Samsung NC10 because they have a 93% of full-size keyboard (vs. HP and Dell's 92%), the 6-cell battery for 6 hours of battery life (vs. the others' 3-cell battery) and the 160 HD (I had earlier ruled out the HP Mini 1030NR because it only had a 16GB SolidState HD). All these Netbooks come with 1GB RAM, but I will be upgrading to 2 GB as soon as I get it. That's my research, FWIW.

[bigben]

excuse me if i sound like a complete moron with these questions as i have zero computer savy, but:

1) someone mentioned onenote being a reason they went with pc. doesnt it come in the office for apple as well? i don't think i could do without onenote.

2) my biggest gripe with PC's are the standard screen resolutions on a normal sized (14.1) inch laptop. i like to have multiple things open at the same time (for instance, text editor side by side with browser) but this really isn't possible on the standard models due to the resolution. from what i've seen on people's macs, the res is much smaller allowing for this, correct? and why isn't this a bigger issue for people - this absolutely drives me nuts when i'm writing a paper or doing research or something.

1) there is no onenote for mac

2) My 14-inch thinkpad (t400) has a resolution of 1440x900. I don't think it gets much higher than that does it?

Edited to add: looks like for macs, the 13.3 inch has 1280x800 and the 15-inch has 1440x900. So the T400 has a higher resolution for the screen space, probably of any laptop out there. Some would not like this, but I don't mind the smaller detail and I like the extra space. It is an option though, I believe they call it WXGA+ or something like that, and the other option is 1280x800. I think they cost the same IIRC.

[bigben]

Between a Dell Studio 15 and a Lenovo T400...

Anyone have any experience with these? Which would be the better laptop for law school?

Typically, with Dell laptops you are going to save a little money but your build quality is going to suffer. Not at all worth it in my opinion. This is just a general guideline though, I have no experience with that model.

[rocketman]

Jazz: thanks

1) there is no onenote for mac

bigben: i see. i assumed that it came with mac-office. if they don't develop one anytime soon (http://www.labnol.org/software/download ... orks/1271/), then no mac for me. i can't envision myself without onenote.

[tcwhat]

Jazz: thanks

1) there is no onenote for mac

bigben: i see. i assumed that it came with mac-office. if they don't develop one anytime soon (http://www.labnol.org/software/download ... orks/1271/), then no mac for me. i can't envision myself without onenote.

You can run windows programs within Mac OS X using Parallels or VMWare Fusion.

[superflush]

After extensive research and reading reviews on Netbooks, I narrowed it down to the HP Mini 2140, the Dell Mini 10, and the Samsung NC10. I ruled out anything by Asus because the keyboard is significantly smaller than I needed. They are all pretty much the same, but I'm going with the Samsung NC10 because they have a 93% of full-size keyboard (vs. HP and Dell's 92%), the 6-cell battery for 6 hours of battery life (vs. the others' 3-cell battery) and the 160 HD (I had earlier ruled out the HP Mini 1030NR because it only had a 16GB SolidState HD). All these Netbooks come with 1GB RAM, but I will be upgrading to 2 GB as soon as I get it. That's my research, FWIW.

hey, I was gonna ask you if it is rather easy to pop in more RAM (in netbooks), and generally a easy and good deal to do, but then I came across this, so you should definitely want to know about this.
Although, I did read somewhere that they will start making 2gb RAM xp netbooks (and I'm pretty sure you can get netbooks with Ubuntu that have 2gb of RAM).
- http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/02/2 ... on-mi.html

[UNC2009]

After extensive research and reading reviews on Netbooks, I narrowed it down to the HP Mini 2140, the Dell Mini 10, and the Samsung NC10. I ruled out anything by Asus because the keyboard is significantly smaller than I needed. They are all pretty much the same, but I'm going with the Samsung NC10 because they have a 93% of full-size keyboard (vs. HP and Dell's 92%), the 6-cell battery for 6 hours of battery life (vs. the others' 3-cell battery) and the 160 HD (I had earlier ruled out the HP Mini 1030NR because it only had a 16GB SolidState HD). All these Netbooks come with 1GB RAM, but I will be upgrading to 2 GB as soon as I get it. That's my research, FWIW.

hey, I was gonna ask you if it is rather easy to pop in more RAM (in netbooks), and generally a easy and good deal to do, but then I came across this, so you should definitely want to know about this.
Although, I did read somewhere that they will start making 2gb RAM xp netbooks (and I'm pretty sure you can get netbooks with Ubuntu that have 2gb of RAM).
- http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/02/2 ... on-mi.html

Yes, I read something about not being able to upgrade the RAM in the Mini 10. Also, from what I've read, the Samsun NC10 IS upgradable as numerous people on reviews for the NC10 said they upgraded the RAM themselves. They usually only have 1 RAM slot, which means you have to completely remove the 1GB stick and replace it with a 2GB stick, but you can find this RAM on Amazon for $20.99 (I think the brand is called "Crucial"). This inability to upgrage the Mini 10 is one of the reasons I ruled it out.

To answer your question about whether it's easy to install new RAM, yeah, it usually is. Remove a couple screws, pop out the old RAM, insert the new. Just be sure you are grounded to something metal and have discharged any static electricity on your body as that will fry RAM.

[superflush]

From what I've read, the Samsun NC10 IS upgradable as numerous people on reviews for the NC10 said they upgraded the RAM themselves. They usually only have 1 RAM slot, which means you have to completely remove the 1GB stick and replace it with a 2GB stick, but you can find this RAM on Amazon for $20.99 (I think the brand is called "Crucial"). This inability to upgrage the Mini 10 is one of the reasons I ruled it out.

To answer your question about whether it's easy to install new RAM, yeah, it usually is. Remove a couple screws, pop out the old RAM, insert the new. Just be sure you are grounded to something metal and have discharged any static electricity on your body as that will fry RAM.

Yea, I've noticed when you look at the netbooks on Amazon that Crucial RAM shows up as "something people also buy."

[dextermorgan]

From what I've read, the Samsun NC10 IS upgradable as numerous people on reviews for the NC10 said they upgraded the RAM themselves. They usually only have 1 RAM slot, which means you have to completely remove the 1GB stick and replace it with a 2GB stick, but you can find this RAM on Amazon for $20.99 (I think the brand is called "Crucial"). This inability to upgrage the Mini 10 is one of the reasons I ruled it out.

To answer your question about whether it's easy to install new RAM, yeah, it usually is. Remove a couple screws, pop out the old RAM, insert the new. Just be sure you are grounded to something metal and have discharged any static electricity on your body as that will fry RAM.

Yea, I've noticed when you look at the netbooks on Amazon that Crucial RAM shows up as "something people also buy."

Crucial ram is good ram, but the real advantage of Crucial is that if you go to their site they can profile your system and show you ram guaranteed to work with your machine.

[superflush]

Crucial ram is good ram, but the real advantage of Crucial is that if you go to their site they can profile your system and show you ram guaranteed to work with your machine.

Cool, good to know.

[djshack]

I received my new Lenovo ThinkPad T400 yesterday, and I must say I'm very impressed. It's actually thinner and lighter than I had imagined. Thickness seems comparable to my white MacBook, and it actually feels lighter (but based on the specifications it shouldn't be??). It also feels incredibly durable, which is one of the primary reasons I bought it. Also, the keyboard is great (another factor in the decision).

If anyone's considering getting one and has any questions, let me know, as I may be able to answer.

[jpasqu1]

I received my new Lenovo ThinkPad T400 yesterday, and I must say I'm very impressed. It's actually thinner and lighter than I had imagined. Thickness seems comparable to my white MacBook, and it actually feels lighter (but based on the specifications it shouldn't be??). It also feels incredibly durable, which is one of the primary reasons I bought it. Also, the keyboard is great (another factor in the decision).

If anyone's considering getting one and has any questions, let me know, as I may be able to answer.

I'm probably going to order mine in the next day or two. Did you go with the LED back light? It doesn't cost anything extra and the reviews I read say if you have a choice to go with it, however Lenovo says it will add 4+ weeks to my delivery time. How long did it take to get yours?

[djshack]

I received my new Lenovo ThinkPad T400 yesterday, and I must say I'm very impressed. It's actually thinner and lighter than I had imagined. Thickness seems comparable to my white MacBook, and it actually feels lighter (but based on the specifications it shouldn't be??). It also feels incredibly durable, which is one of the primary reasons I bought it. Also, the keyboard is great (another factor in the decision).

If anyone's considering getting one and has any questions, let me know, as I may be able to answer.

I'm probably going to order mine in the next day or two. Did you go with the LED back light? It doesn't cost anything extra and the reviews I read say if you have a choice to go with it, however Lenovo says it will add 4+ weeks to my delivery time. How long did it take to get yours?

I got the WXGA+ non-LED display (primarily because I wanted the higher resolution, and also because of the delay). They shipped it about a week after I ordered it (and a week earlier than the original estimate).

[General Tso]

I see a lot of recommendations for Lenovo laptops. Does anyone know where I can try one out? (Bestbuy, etc.)

I really need to test the keyboard before I order one.

[bigben]

I received my new Lenovo ThinkPad T400 yesterday, and I must say I'm very impressed. It's actually thinner and lighter than I had imagined. Thickness seems comparable to my white MacBook, and it actually feels lighter (but based on the specifications it shouldn't be??). It also feels incredibly durable, which is one of the primary reasons I bought it. Also, the keyboard is great (another factor in the decision).

If anyone's considering getting one and has any questions, let me know, as I may be able to answer.

I'm probably going to order mine in the next day or two. Did you go with the LED back light? It doesn't cost anything extra and the reviews I read say if you have a choice to go with it, however Lenovo says it will add 4+ weeks to my delivery time. How long did it take to get yours?

When I ordered mine, the LED backlight cost extra but I still got it. As I recall it's supposed to be great for the battery. There was no delay for it at the time, though.


This reminds me, lenovo honors price reductions that occur within some time period after you buy, like 30 days or something. A few weeks after I bought mine the price dropped like $250 off an already good deal, and I called them and they refunded the difference.

[jpasqu1]

I see a lot of recommendations for Lenovo laptops. Does anyone know where I can try one out? (Bestbuy, etc.)

I really need to test the keyboard before I order one.

Circuity City used to sell them. I think they've got them at Tigerdirect stores but I don't have any of them near me so I'm not 100% sure about that.
http://www.compusa.com/retailstores/com ... /index.asp

I was lucky as my sister's college sells them so when I was with her I was able to test drive it a bit. If you are worried about size just try out any a laptop of the same size. Lenovo's keyboards are supposed to be pretty good.

[djshack]

I see a lot of recommendations for Lenovo laptops. Does anyone know where I can try one out? (Bestbuy, etc.)

I really need to test the keyboard before I order one.

I've never seen the ThinkPad line in a retail store, only some of the cheaper lines (at Circuit City in the past). As for the keyboard, Lenovo's keyboards are the gold standard in laptop keyboards, so you should be fine (much better than the white MacBook with stupid flat keys I had, and the iBook before it).

[General Tso]

I see a lot of recommendations for Lenovo laptops. Does anyone know where I can try one out? (Bestbuy, etc.)

I really need to test the keyboard before I order one.

I've never seen the ThinkPad line in a retail store, only some of the cheaper lines (at Circuit City in the past). As for the keyboard, Lenovo's keyboards are the gold standard in laptop keyboards, so you should be fine (much better than the white MacBook with stupid flat keys I had, and the iBook before it).

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I think Fry's has the cheaper Lenovo line in store. I definitely do not like Macbook keyboards. I like some of the Vaio keyboards but not all. Right now I am considering a Lenovo or a Vaio SR series.

[djshack]

I see a lot of recommendations for Lenovo laptops. Does anyone know where I can try one out? (Bestbuy, etc.)

I really need to test the keyboard before I order one.

I've never seen the ThinkPad line in a retail store, only some of the cheaper lines (at Circuit City in the past). As for the keyboard, Lenovo's keyboards are the gold standard in laptop keyboards, so you should be fine (much better than the white MacBook with stupid flat keys I had, and the iBook before it).

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I think Fry's has the cheaper Lenovo line in store. I definitely do not like Macbook keyboards. I like some of the Vaio keyboards but not all. Right now I am considering a Lenovo or a Vaio SR series.

I'd go with the Lenovo. I've never had personal experience with the Vaio series, but I've heard they are just not built well. They look nice, have nice specs, but do not hold up physically (again, what I've heard). Lenovos are tough (at least the ThinkPads are).

[jpasqu1]

I see a lot of recommendations for Lenovo laptops. Does anyone know where I can try one out? (Bestbuy, etc.)

I really need to test the keyboard before I order one.

I've never seen the ThinkPad line in a retail store, only some of the cheaper lines (at Circuit City in the past). As for the keyboard, Lenovo's keyboards are the gold standard in laptop keyboards, so you should be fine (much better than the white MacBook with stupid flat keys I had, and the iBook before it).

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I think Fry's has the cheaper Lenovo line in store. I definitely do not like Macbook keyboards. I like some of the Vaio keyboards but not all. Right now I am considering a Lenovo or a Vaio SR series.

I'd go with the Lenovo. I've never had personal experience with the Vaio series, but I've heard they are just not built well. They look nice, have nice specs, but do not hold up physically (again, what I've heard). Lenovos are tough (at least the ThinkPads are).

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread ... id=1320611

Go there, you can get the T-series for about 20% off. I'm about to buy a T400 w/ RAM(Upgrading to 2GB is about $10 more bucks then buying through crucial), 9-cell battery which has insane running time, bluetooth, and the 3 year warranty for $850.

From the research I've done Vaio's seem to be similar to Macs in that they are more expensive then they should be for the computer you are getting.

[missv463]

i like lenovos. the only reason why i prob won't get a lenovo is because if you buy the 12.1" one, it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, so you'd have to buy an external one. as it is, the 12.1" is already about $1000.... and i wanted something light, so thats why i'm not bothering with the larger options. so i'm thinking i'm prob going to get a macbook instead...? i just want to make sure that if i'm going to spend $1000+, the laptop i get will last me the whole 3 years of law school and not stress me out with random issues.

[djshack]

i like lenovos. the only reason why i prob won't get a lenovo is because if you buy the 12.1" one, it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, so you'd have to buy an external one. as it is, the 12.1" is already about $1000.... and i wanted something light, so thats why i'm not bothering with the larger options. so i'm thinking i'm prob going to get a macbook instead...? i just want to make sure that if i'm going to spend $1000+, the laptop i get will last me the whole 3 years of law school and not stress me out with random issues.

Lenovos are built MUCH better than MacBooks. MacBooks look nice and sturdy, but they just don't handle the abuse very well (especially the white ones, but I've heard of issues with the aluminum as well).

Also, the T400 I just got is bigger and somehow feels lighter than my white MacBook. The aluminum MacBooks are specified to be only a half pound lighter than the white ones. If you're really going for light, you may want to look elsewhere.

[missv463]

i like lenovos. the only reason why i prob won't get a lenovo is because if you buy the 12.1" one, it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, so you'd have to buy an external one. as it is, the 12.1" is already about $1000.... and i wanted something light, so thats why i'm not bothering with the larger options. so i'm thinking i'm prob going to get a macbook instead...? i just want to make sure that if i'm going to spend $1000+, the laptop i get will last me the whole 3 years of law school and not stress me out with random issues.

Lenovos are built MUCH better than MacBooks. MacBooks look nice and sturdy, but they just don't handle the abuse very well (especially the white ones, but I've heard of issues with the aluminum as well).

Also, the T400 I just got is bigger and somehow feels lighter than my white MacBook. The aluminum MacBooks are specified to be only a half pound lighter than the white ones. If you're really going for light, you may want to look elsewhere.

yeah, i don't know what to do in terms of buying a laptop lol i agree that lenovos are a lot more durable, but the one that i want is a bit expensive, and to buy an external CD/DVD drive on top of that makes it worse.